The North East has some of the highest concentration of smokers

Health bosses say they are delighted with the figures, which show a 23% improvement on the previous 12 months.

The North East has the some of the country's highest concentration of smokers and associated health problems.

In County Durham and Tees Valley 949 per 100,000 of the population over 16 quit and in Northumberland, Tyne and Wear it was 885.

The North East as a whole had an overall quit rate of 914 per 100,000 compared to the national average of 514.

Smoking services

In all, over half the 34,500 smokers in the North East who set a quit date had successfully given up four weeks later.

Regional director of public health Dr Bill Kirkup said: "This confirms what we have known for some time, that stop smoking services in the North East are the most effective in the country."

Nationally, more people than ever before are quitting smoking using NHS stop smoking services.

Public Health Minister Melanie Johnson said: "I am very encouraged by these excellent results which are largely down to the enthusiasm and commitment of local stop smoking advisers."

Smoking causes 120,000 deaths in the UK each year and treating smoking related diseases costs the NHS about �1.7 bn a year.